The present disclosure relates closures for roofs and more particularly, to closures for metal roofs. Metal roofs are commonly used on all types of buildings. Metal roofs are available in a wide variety of shapes and can include corrugated, box beam, box rib, B-deck, V-beam and a host of other shapes. The panels are mounted to a roof structure. In a typical pitched installation, the panels are mounted such that the channels or corrugations are oriented vertically or at an angle, or so that water flows off of the roof.
The roof panels are joined to one another or to another member, such as a ridge cap. A seal is positioned at the juncture of the panels or the panel and the ridge cap. The seal prevents in-leakage of water (e.g., wind-driven rain), dirt and other contaminants, vermin and the like.
Known seals include a foam element, such as a closed cell foam, that is positioned between the panels or between the panel and the ridge cap. Foam closures can take the form of a non-shaped sheet, block or strips. In such an installation, the foam element is positioned between the roof panels (that is above a lower panel and below an upper panel), to establish the seal.
Other foam closures are fabricated to form or conform to a specific roof panel shape and size. That is, a roof panel that has, for example, a certain V-shaped cross-section, may be used with a foam element that is convoluted, having a corresponding V-shape with the dimensions of the foam the same as the dimensions of the panel's V-shaped cross-section.
The foam strips can include an adhesive to help maintain the strip in place, and can be formed from foamed polyethylene, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), and like materials. When made into foam members, the foams are formed as closed cell foams.
While these seals usually function well for their intended purpose, there are drawbacks. First, the sheet, block or strip foam element many not fully conform to the shape of the roof panels. This, of course, can result in gaps or openings between the panels or at the panel joints that do not prevent in-leakage, contaminant ingress, vermin and the like.
The formed foam members, overcome the gap problem, but require that the foam element be fabricated specifically for the type, shape and size of the roof panel corrugation.
Accordingly, there is a need for roof panel seal element that readily conforms to the size and shape of the roof panels with which it is used. Desirably, such a seal element can be used along and across the panel corrugations.